Contrary to my baser capitalistic instincts, I digitized and offered free of charge a couple of breast cancer pink ribbon logos. I was completely unprepared for the response I got from so many people who have been affected from breast cancer. This has recently hit a little closer to home for me. The sister of a friend has had a double mastectomy this past week resulting from her first mammogram. She went in for her baseline mammogram and a suspicious area was identified. Consequently, breast cancer was diagnosed through the biopsy and surgery was scheduled. She elected to have a double mastectomy, not wanting to possibly go through the process again. Cancer cells have since been identified from cells in the second breast so it appears to have been the right decision to proceed with the double mastectomy. She’s now dealing with the aftermath of such a radical change to her body as well as the post-op care.

Doctors do their best to prepare you for what’s ahead but until it happens to you, you can’t begin to image or anticipate how you will react to the resulting changes to your body. Cold hard facts are presented and possible treatments discussed. Before and after are pictures presented. But no one can prepare you for what happens in the middle. I’ve come across a great story and website that I found to be decidedly different. I hope it can help someone who’s looking for some answers after they’ve had a mastectomy and are starting down the road to recovery and reconstruction.  It's sponosored in part by the Susan G. Komen foundation

It tells the story through pictures by a professional photographer not in a cold medical chronicle but a very moving and tasteful pictorial. Please take the time to check it out, visit the links and read her story. The end result for her was beautiful.

Many people have downloaded my free pink ribbon designs and have taken the time to share their stories. I invite any who have done pink ribbon embroidery, whether from my designs or others, to email pictures or stories to me and, with their permission, I’ll post the results of their work on a special pink ribbon page on my website. I recently added a pink ribbon appliqué to my site as well. If you can’t find the breast cancer or pink ribbon embroidery design you need, drop me an email and some art and I will do my best to get you what you need.

In the meantime, get those mammograms and check ups and don’t forget those self exams. If it helps, ask a friend ... and Good Luck with the boobies!

....for Kim...

It's not often you come across a state government program that makes some sort of sense.  At least sense to the real people who actually do the work.  In case you just woke up from a coma in a cave, the economy is tanking and vast scores of worker bees are being laid off.  Even the big cheeses like Boeing and Microsoft are feeling the squeeze. 

Here in the State of Washington there is a program called Share-Work.  In a nutshell, it allows employers to keep their skilled and trained workers in a time of economic downturn.  Instead of laying off the work force completely and making them live off unemployment, and even looking for other work, under the Shared-Work program the employers can cut full time workers back to part time and have unemployment pick up the difference.  You get to keep your job and benefits, earn more than you would on unemployment and the company keeps payroll taxes down and maintains a skilled and trained work pool.  Considering it comes from the bureaucracy of The Man, it still makes some kind of sense.

There are eligibility requirements but any private or public company with up to date payroll taxes and legally registered in the state of Washington can apply.  A full time employee of 40 hours gets cuts back to 25 hours of part time work a week and the unemployment department makes up the difference.  The estimated time for company approval to enroll in the program is 15 days.  In real people who work for a living time that probably closer to 45 days.  You can't be gentle with the with these things either.  You have to push the eligibility process a bit.  Not a once week how's it going sort of push but a harassing stalker call the governor sort of push.

You might be saying to yourself "why my goodness, this sounds like just what our company needs to weather this economic downtown that is not a recession.  This must be a fairly new program since I haven't heard if it before".  But to the contrary, it's been around about as long as the Bee Gees, since 1983 to be exact.  A program that helps workers and companies alike wallowing in obscurity, I shall call forth the worker bees of Washington and spread the word to storm the Bastille of Olympia!  Rise up and be heard my Friends (I feel bit like Norma Rae now).

I've gone against my instinctual capitalistic nature and recently added a freebie page to my site.  It is, of course, a blatant attempt to drive more visitors to my humble offerings and roam the site endlessly buying large quantities of designs so I can feed the kitties in a manner to which they've become accustom.  My choice for this month was a couple of my versions of the breast cancer pink ribbon symbol.

The response I've gotten has been good and much more than I've expected.  I've heard from a few customers with their own stories to tell.  They've been kind enough to share them with me and I've heard great stories of hope and survival.  I've been urged to make sure I get my mammogram (it's all scheduled!) and some are including my design on various projects for family members fighting cancer.  I really appreciate hearing about people and stories.  It's rare that any of us has not been touched by someone battling cancer....and hopefully surviving.  Keep fighting, there are people out there thinking of you.

Keep checking back to my site and visiting, even the freebies page will get new logos.  I try and add new stuff when I can... in between my 'real' digitizing job for the corporate man and herding kitties away from the furniture!  Thanks for telling me your stories and keep me up to date.

I have been neglectful of these pages but I will get up to date on some recent excursions.  It's been said the worst winter I spent was San Francisco in July.  While it was a bit chilly and overcast,  just enough sun peaked through for the sea lions to bask for the tourists on the wharf.  Upwind of course.  It was good enough for a trolley ride to Chinatown and, for me, a requisit trip to Ghirardelli Square for a much needed chocolate fix.

The highlight of the adventure was a trip out to Alcatraz, better known as The Rock.  For those of you not in the know (we learned these things almost too late so pay attention) Alcatraz is part of the National Park Service.  There are plenty of tours that will take you out to the island but only one is allowed to actually dock and let you tour the facility.

Don't be fooled by imitators and if you do nothing else, make your reservations early.  I will admit to being a bit jaded on the idea of the tour but it turned out it was one of the better ones I've been on.

Take the time to go through the line for the little headphones for the guided tour.  Well worth the effort and very well done.  It's narrated by actual inmates, guards and administrators who can still tell a story or two.

I had the opportunity to get thrown into solitary for what seemed like 10 minutes but I suspect the volunteer had strict instructions not to leave anyone in there for more than 10 seconds!  The darkest of dark and cured me of ever wanting to break the law... ever.  Overall, very well done, interesting and informative.

On certain times of the year you can even walk around the island but we were there during some bird love (aka migratory bird breeding season) and were unable to see most of the flora and fauna.  If you get the chance, cruise on out to The Rock...I may even have channeled Sean Connery once.  Did I mention the gift shop?!

I recently played hooky from work (my boss is pretty cool about things like this) to hit the first showing on opening day of the latest X-Files:I Want To Believe movie. I will preface all additional comments by saying I’ve been a huge fan from day one and will forgive almost anything by way of less than stellar movie plots. I will purchase the DVD and watch it more than once I promise.

It might just be me, but I prefer the creators to stick to the genre when it comes to motion pictures born from great television series. The movie was pretty good but when it comes to the X-Files, I want alien abductions, spaceships, and mysterious unexplained phenomenon somewhere in there. For those of you who wait breathlessly for Muldar and Scully to share the briefest of accidental brushings, then there will be some satisfaction. It concentrates more on the relationship of the characters than the paranormal aspect of the show. There is even a bedroom scene, albeit PG, to expound upon endlessly.

Never fear hardcore fans, Muldar still loses his cell phone and gets himself beat up but never loses his gun, if only because he never carries one. It makes more sense to hardcore fans….you can tell because they laugh at the right moments in the theatre. Some really clever little moments appear but you need to be watching closely. Muldar's cell phone lists Gillian ahead of Scully in his call numbers. I especially like the scene in the FBI office when Muldar and Scully are being summoned and waiting in the hall and we see a photo of George W. and the haunting X-File theme plays. We all know what that means.

I think the creators just need to embrace the fan base and go completely alien, two headed dogs aside. Call me crazy, but I need black goo to feel complete X-Filed.